Derrick Rose isn’t getting to the free throw line as much as he traditionally has in seasons past, and Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau feels like Rose’s on-court demeanor may have something to do with that.

In 2012, Rose averaged 6.1 free throw attempts per game, and in his 2011 MVP season, he got to the line almost seven times per game.

It’s only been three games this year, but Rose’s attempts have essentially been cut in half, with the explosive guard logging just 10 total free throw attempts on the season thus far.

It’s a tough spot for Thibodeau to be in publicly, because criticizing the officials in any way usually comes with it a sizable fine. But he did give us a glimpse of what he believes the issue is.

Ten free throws in three games for Derrick Rose? Are the referees swallowing their whistles when the NBA’s 2011 MVP hurtles to the rim?

‘‘Next question,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said before weighing in. ‘‘I’ll say this: I don’t know of anyone who drives as hard as he does. Nor as fast as he does. And I think sometimes he’s penalized for being a nice guy. I’ll leave it at that.’’

A look at Rose’s shot chart for this season compared to 2011 shows that the reason for the decrease might not be due to any bias by the referees; it’s likely a product of Rose’s shot selection.

When Rose averaged 6.9 free throws per game, over 54 percent of his shots came from the restricted area. Through these first three games, only 34.48 percent of his shots are coming in that very same space.

Essentially, Rose has been shooting more pull-up jumpers to this point in the season than he has in the past, and jump-shooters simply don’t get to the line as much as guys who drive the ball to the basket.

Rose may in fact need to increase his level of frustration if he feels he’s getting fouled on drives with no whistle. But really, he just needs to force the issue more in driving to the basket to see his number of free throw attempts rise.